How to keep fruits and veggies fresh longer

While any number of products, from Oxo’s Good Grips Greensaver to Rubbermaid Fresh Works, promise to cut down food waste, there are a few free tricks to keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer.

“For most produce, buying in-season matters,” said Faith Duran, editor of TheKitchn.com. “If something is in season in your area, it doesn’t have to travel as far to get to you, so it can be harvested at its optimum flavor and ripeness since there is minimal shipping and travel time. Some produce, however, such as onions, avocados and potatoes, have a long shelf life and travel well, so there isn’t as much of an ideal season for these things,” said Duran, author of the James Beard Award-winning “The Kitchn Cookbook” and “Bakeless Sweets.”

“Your eyes and fingers are your best guides. Look for vibrant colors, no bruising or soft spots, and intense fragrance for things like stone fruits,” she said. “Berries should look plump and not feel mushy (taste if you can), and citrus fruits should be shiny on the outside, indicating that they are fresh because they still have a lot of essential oils in the skin that have not dried out.”

About one-third of all food produced in the world is thrown away each year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Here are some basic storage tips from The Kitchn:

• For vegetables, remove ties and trim leafy ends, keeping about an inch so the vegetable doesn’t dry out. Store loosely in a bag with holes for ventilation. Wash leafy greens, then dry in a salad spinner or with paper towels.

• Soft herbs and mushrooms should be washed right before consuming.

• Store fruits like bell peppers, grapes, citrus and berries in the refrigerator, but non-cherry stone fruits, avocados, tomatoes, mangos, melons, apples and pears on the countertop, where they will continue to ripen.

• Store bananas away from other fruits because they ripen quickly and will ripen nearby fruits.